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By Ray Hickson

Trainer Joe Pride is comfortable he’s been able to give Private Eye the right grounding for the jump from three short course sprints to 1400m at Randwick on Saturday.

Joe Pride (Pic: Steve Hart)

The deluge prior to Day 1 of The Star Championships meant Private Eye didn’t contest his autumn aim of the TJ Smith Stakes but has the chance to salvage the campaign in the Group 1 $1.5m Schweppes All Aged Stakes (1400m).

After a first-up second to Imperatriz in the Black Caviar Lightning, Private Eye stayed at 1000m in the Challenge Stakes then took on the Galaxy at 1100m.

A trial win over 822m to compensate for missing the TJ, with blinkers and new jockey James McDonald on board, has Pride confident the gelding is on track.

“If I trial him without blinkers he probably doesn’t run in the first three and gives himself an easy time and I’m questioning whether it’s the right prep for 1100m to 1400m,’’ he said.

“I like the fact he’s gone 1000m, 1000m, 1100m and then into 1400m. I think that’s fine. He's had the right prep to run his best possible 1400m.

“He can bounce back off, I’m not even going to call them average performances, some disappointing results.

“If he turns up with his A game they won’t see which way he goes.”

It’s easy to forget Private Eye, $8.50 with TAB on Thursday, has won twice at a mile including an Epsom Handicap so 1400m is well within his reach.

Pride said he’d have liked a slightly softer barrier than 10 but in the context of where the speed has drawn he says there should be no excuses.

“The map looks, for a wide barrier, not as bad as if you take the number by itself,’’ he said.

“Things still need to go his way. It hasn’t lately but he’s in great nick.

“James was really impressed with him in the trial the other day.

“I couldn’t be happier with the horse, it’s a nice opportunity to knock off another Group 1. I think he deserves another one on his CV.”

Emerging stayer Bullets High goes on trial for a Queensland Derby campaign in the Group 3 $250,000 Gow-Gates Frank Packer Plate (2000m) – if the track stays on the dry side.

The son of Derby winner Ace High ran a slashing second when resuming at Kensington last month but failed on a soft 7 track second-up at Gosford on April 10.

“I’m totally prepared to forgive him for the other day,’’ Pride said.

“It was a combination of a tight turning track but moreso a wet track that saw him floundering. He was not good in it and that’s the way Ace High was himself.

“He’d be one I’d keep at home if it got wet. I think 2000m is right up his alley and this is a Derby trial for us and I’m sure there’s other horses in the same race thinking the same thing.”

The question of whether Pride can turn Group 1 winning sprinter Mazu’s fortunes around will be answered, he believes, in the Group 3 $250,000 TAB Hall Mark Stakes (1200m).

Private Eye wins a Warwick Farm trial on April 12

Mazu was caught wide after attempting to cross and lead the TJ Smith Stakes before weakening to run eleventh. The Hall Mark will be the first time since March 2022 that the gelding has contested a race less than Group 2 grade or quality.

“I’ve been happy with the horse the whole way through,’’ Pride said.

“The run first-up was excellent, he came off a setback into the TJ. He ended up three deep pulling.

“Front Page is in this race so we won’t be leading, if we can come across and sit off him I think he can run a big race.”

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday's Randwick meeting